Peter's Curiosity
by CollegeNA-Twins
Summary: Young Peter decides to follow through with asking a heavily loaded question.
1. The Question

Six Years Ago...

"Pappa?" A tiny voice echoed through the cramped office like the first birdsong after a storm. The owner of the voice stood in the doorway, light from the hall cast his thin shadow into the darkened room, where a tall blond man sat behind a cluttered desk, illuminated by a single lamp. Berwald placed a hurried period upon his final sentence, then looked up towards the small, anxious boy.

"Peter?" came the deep reply, voice hoarse from lack of use after hours of work. "Are ya okay? Where's Tino?" Concern fell heavy in his voice; his ten year old son would never interrupt him in his office unless it was absolutely necessary.

"Oh.. uh.. I'm fine. Daddy is making dinner..." Peter trailed off as his Pappa let out a sigh of relief. "And.. I just.. I know I'm not suppose ta bother you while you work..." Peter's eyes fell to the ground, suddenly finding himself nervous. His hands began to shake, and he grabbed hold of the door frame for support.

"Peter..." Berwald pushed his glasses back into the proper place, then stood and made his way through stacks of books and folders to sit on the carpeted floor in front of his trembling son. He crossed his legs and pulled Peter into his lap."What's botherin' ya, Älskling?" He brushed Peter's blond hair from his face, making a mental note to trim it after dinner.

Peter relaxed into his Pappa's arms, and for a moment considered dropping the subject before he'd step too far, and ask for ice cream instead. However, when he felt his Pappa's kiss on the top of his head, courage surged through his small body once more. "Pappa, I've been thinking a lot. And... You know I love you and Daddy, right?"  
Berwald tensed. "Ja. We love you too, Peter. väldigt mycket."

Peter sighed, relieved, "Good. So I was wondering... Could we find my birth family?"


	2. The Plan

Tea and Coffee.

A pleasantly cool breeze rattled the red and white patterned parasols protruding from the center of the coffee shop's outdoor tables. Autumn would soon arrive, much to Berwald's delight. The Swedish man had long forgotten why exactly he and his husband had decided to move to the middle of the United States, as both would have preferred a location that wouldn't try to kill them each summer. Berwald closed his eyes and and leaned back in his chair, allowing the breeze to engulf him, drowning out the sounds of civilization. The sweet aroma of coffee and cupcakes surrounded him, and flooded his mind with visions of small hands coated in flour, soft laughter, and the promise of freshly baked cookies. The coming of Autumn also marked the count down to his son's eleventh birthday. Berwald was brought back to reality, and wiped the sweat off his neck with a napkin. Should this meeting today proceed accordingly, Berwald would secure the ultimate birthday present for the child that meant the whole world to him. He glanced down at his wristwatch, 9:55am. Five minutes until his guest was scheduled to arrive. Berwald himself had not been able to sleep the night before, mind whirling with a conflicting battle of excitement and anxiety, and thus had been waiting at the predetermined coffee shop for almost an hour.

"Excusez-moi, monsieur." A man's voice caught Berwald's attention. Standing in front of his table stood a fairly attractive man with blue eyes and shoulder-length blond hair that was tied into a low ponytail. "Would you happen to be a Berwald Oxenstierna?" Berwald studied the man carefully. He wore a violet button-up shirt which was tucked into gray slacks. He obviously spoke French, which Berwald was not expecting of his guest.

"Ja. I am Berwald. Are you-"  
"Magnifique!" The man interrupted, turning to face the coffee shop's doors where another man was exiting with two beverages in his hands. " Arthur, mon amour. He is here." The Frenchman waved to gain the Man with Beverages' attention. The newcomer made his way over to Berwald's table and handed the Frenchman his drink.  
" Honestly, frog, I have no idea how you drink that stuff." He then turned to Berwald and gave a slight bow, " Hello, sir. You're Berwald Oxenstierna? My name is Arthur Jones. This is my husband, Francis." Arthur explained, giving a small hand motion to Francis as he introduced him. Francis offered a hand in greeting. Berwald stood to shake Francis' hand, to which they were both obviously taken back by his height, then offered for the pair to sit with him. Like Francis, Arthur was blond, but his hair was much shorter. Unlike Francis, Arthur's eyes were an emerald green, and above them were a pair of awfully familiar bushy eyebrows.

" Right-o. So I guess we should just get straight to the point." Arthur began after he took a sip of what Berwald guessed to be tea. " What on earth is this nonsense about adoption and my supposed little brother?"

Berwald sat straight in his seat, and leaned forward so his forearms were placed upon the table, hands clasped. "M'son. His name is Peter. He'll be turnin' eleven in September." Arthur raised an eyebrow, and Francis gave a curious look in Arthur's direction.

" Eleven? We have children older than that. I believe you've been sent on a wild goose chase, mon ami."

"Nej, I believe I have found the right person. Arthur looks just like an adult version of Peter, I was shocked when I saw him." Berwald reached into his back pocket to pull out a worn leather wallet. He opened the wallet and pulled out a small picture, obviously a school photograph, and handed it over to the couple in front of him. "This was taken last school year." Arthur and Francis took the picture, surprise written on their faces as they studied the face of the child in question. "When we adopted him, he was 'bout a year old. Agency said his birth parents were almost elderly, and that they had died in a car crash. Peter wasn't with them at the time."

"Oh," was all Arthur could muster out for a reply as he handed the photo back to Berwald.

"We asked about surviving family at the time, but were only told that his parents cut off ties with them. We didn't press the matter as to avoid stirring up unwanted emotions... However a couple months ago, Peter asked us to find you. I couldn't tell him no." Berwald carefully placed the photo back in his wallet, and then returned the wallet to his pocket. "We went back to the agency, and they informed us that his birth parents were members of the Kirkland family. Is that name familiar?" Arthur gave a visible reaction, and Francis placed a hand on his husband's shoulder.

"Oui... Kirkland is Arthur's birth surname. We changed our names to Jones when our families combined. Then it must be true that your Peter and Arthur are related. However... We did not know about the passing of his parents..."

"Jäkla, I apologize."

"No, no..." Arthur stood abruptly, "It's fine. Excuse me, I'm out of tea." He turned and headed back inside, leaving Berwald alone with a slightly flustered Francis. An awkward silence fell between them. Berwald looked down at his half empty coffee cup, then back towards Francis.

"Arthur has three other brothers, you know..." The Frenchman was staring in the direction in which Arthur had disappeared, curling the ends of his hair around his finger. "He's the second oldest. Your adoption agency probably would have contacted his older brother if he lived closer."

"Three others?" Berwald repeated, "Are the four of them close?"

"Fairly, oui. We see Dylan and Connor often. However, Alistair, the oldest, is currently working abroad in Scotland. He comes home twice a year... Christmas and the twins' birthday..." Francis trailed off, then looked back towards Berwald. "Oh c'est vrai, I suppose we'll have to set up times for Peter to meet everyone. If that's what he wants of course."  
Berwald glanced to the coffee shop doors, "Do ya think Arthur will be okay with that?"

"Oui, mon ami. He just needs a little while to take all this in. You said Peter's birthday was coming up, no?"

"Ja, September second." Berwald replied, noticing Arthur reemerge from within, carrying a new cup of tea and a doughnut.

"Excellent, that should be plenty of time." Francis clasped his hands together in excitement, "How about we meet him then? We can bring our children as well. We both have children from previous relationships; Arthur has twin boys and I have a daughter." Arthur appeared beside his husband without the Frenchman noticing. He placed his tea down on the table before sitting, which caused Francis to jump slightly. "Mon amour, when did you get back?"

"Francis, je ne sais pas comment gérer tout cela." Arthur sighed, taking a bite from his donut.

"Mon cher, vous êtes inquiétant pour rien." Francis placed a comforting arm around his husband, "Je sais que cela est un peu un choc, mais il pourrait être une bonne chose." Berwald sat confused, he didn't understand a bit of French. Peter had been interested in learning more languages, as he was nearly fluent in Swedish and Finnish. Perhaps this family of his could add another...

"Une bonne chose?" Arthur hummed, seemingly contemplating something.

"Oui. Pensez-y, les jumeaux et Michelle ne sont pas beaucoup plus vieux que Peter. Ils pourraient former une forte amitié avec lui." Berwald caught his son's name in Francis' words, and thus concluded that Francis was attempting to convince Arthur to meet Peter. Berwald waited patiently, hopefully, silently cheering Francis on. The couple passed a few more words, too soft for Berwald to hear, not that it would have mattered anyway. Eventually, they both faced Berwald once more, Arthur looking a bit more confident and Francis beaming with success.

"Mr. Oxenstierna," Arthur addressed Berwald, "I would love to meet, and introduce my family to Peter. Francis informed me that you talked about meeting on his birthday?"

"Ja, and please just call me Berwald. We were plannin' a party for him at noon that day. I'll write down the address for you." Berwald took out a pen and inscribed the information the Jones family would need to find the party on the back of his receipt, including his personal cell phone number. He handed the receipt over to Arthur, who silently looked over the writing.

"Wonderful, very good. Right then." Arthur stood again and took a deep breath, "Mr. Ox- I mean, Berwald. It was a pleasure to meet you, and I look forward to the party."

"Likewise, Arthur." Berwald stood and extended his hand for Arthur to shake. He then shook hands with Francis once more, and said his goodbyes to the pair. He watched them walk away, then sat back down in his seat with a sigh. The meeting went more or less as planned. Now all that was left to do was to tell Tino and put the finishing details on the party. Berwald closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The lingering aroma of tea swirled around and mixed with the almost stale scent of coffee, and with a smirk forming, Berwald knew he was about to become the best Pappa ever.

 **Excusez-moi, monsieur.:** Excuse me sir.

 **Magnifique:** Magnificent

 **Mon ami.:** My friend

 **Oui:** Yes

 **Oh c'est vrai:** Oh that's right.

 **Francis, je ne sais pas comment gérer tout cela.:** Francis, I do not know how to handle it all.

 **Mon cher, vous êtes inquiétant pour rien.:** My dear, you're worrying for nothing.

 **Je sais que cela est un peu un choc, mais il pourrait être une bonne chose.:** I know this is a bit of a shock, but it could be a good thing.

 **Une bonne chose?:** A good thing?

 **Oui. Pensez-y, les jumeaux et Michelle ne sont pas beaucoup plus vieux que Peter. Ils pourraient former une forte amitié avec lui.:** Yes. Think about it, the twins and Michelle are not much older than Peter. They could form a strong friendship with him.

 **Ja:** yes

 **Nej:** No

 **Jäkla:** Damn

 **Pappa:** dad


End file.
